A Critique of American Judaism with Joshua Leifer

What does it mean to care for the sick—not just medically, but morally and spiritually? In this episode of Identity/Crisis, Yehuda Kurtzer invites Sara Labaton, Director of Teaching and Learning at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, to share her essay, Permission and Obligation: A Jewish Paradigm for Care, from the Spring issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas. Drawing from personal experience and Jewish texts, Sara explores the complexities of caregiving and examines the role of doctors, patients, and the community in the healing process. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

What does it mean to keep singing when the world is broken? In this special Yom Ha’atzmaut episode of Identity/Crisis, host Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Moti Zeira — biographer of legendary Israeli musician Naomi Shemer and a leading voice in Israeli cultural renewal — to explore how music carries the weight of memory, protest, and hope.   You can listen to our playlist of songs by Naomi Shemer HERE   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

Who gets to tell the stories of the past, and what influence do they have on the story of the present and the future? This week marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust. In advance of Yom HaShoah, host Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Dani Dayan, Chairman of Yad Vashem, to discuss the ways in which memory is political, how reflections of the past implicate the present, and the future of holocaust remembrance when there are no more living survivors to share their stories. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

Identity/Crisis will be taking a break this week and will return the Tuesday after Passover.

Take a great story from the past, add an obligation to live that story as though you’re in it, multiply by the complexities of your closest relationships, add wine, subtract food, and you have a seder – good luck.   This week on Identity/Crisis, host Yehuda Kurtzer and Dara Horn, author of One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe, get us ready for Passover with a robust conversation on monotheism as a stand against tyranny, scapegoats, and what Horn sees as the overriding and abiding message of the holiday: hope.  You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.     JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

The future of American Judaism is uncertain, some might even say at risk. In this special episode, recorded live at the Jewish Funders Network Conference in Nashville, Yehuda Kurtzer, Franklin Foer, and Sarah Hurwitz engage in a dynamic discussion about what ails American Judaism, why we fear change, and what we want to strengthen and preserve for the future.     This live Identity/Crisis episode was made possible by Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies and the Jim Joseph Foundation, featuring theme music by SoCalled and additional music by Distant Cousins.    You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.     JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

During times of war, when fear and self-preservation are front of mind, how do we make room for ethics? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, guest host Claire Sufrin, editor of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas, sits down with Donniel Hartman, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, to discuss the importance of morality in the Jewish tradition and how ethics should inform our choices. Keep an eye out for Donniel Hartman’s article in the Spring 2025 issue of Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas about Jewish ethics in theory and practice.   You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.

How do you prepare your children for becoming citizens of the Jewish people? On this episode of Identity/Crisis, recorded just ahead of their third child’s bat mitzvah, host Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by his wife and hevruta Stephanie Ives to discuss the ways you can and can’t transmit your approach to Judaism to your children. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS

Identity/Crisis will be taking a break this week and will return the Tuesday after Purim.

During an increasingly sensitive time for American Jews, how can we critically examine our own communities in ways that don’t feel disloyal? On this episode of Identity/Crisis recorded in front of a live audience, Yehuda Kurtzer sits down with Joshua Leifer, author of Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life, who wrestled with this question while critiquing communities to which he feels deeply loyal. You can now sponsor an episode of Identity/Crisis. Click HERE to learn more.  JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR MORE HARTMAN IDEAS